Confraternitas
by Ninilia
Summary: 10 students. At the top of their school, but the somehow at the bottom of their lives. All they have is their family pride. All they can trust are themselves. And seemingly each other. They take what's offered to them, so they can continue to possess the most important thing in their lives. The only thing worth their lives.
1. Prologue

Prologue

 _A shiver ran down their spines, leaving nothing but numb coldness in their body. They didn't notice the goosebumps. Their attention was drawn to the two boys sitting in the circle. A metallic taste lingered in their mouth, minutes after the chalice was empty. It was there lying on the ground, mesmerizing the people. It happened._

 _If any outsiders there, would look around they couldn't have been more surprised. The ones who were there, they were astonished as well. Knowing each other only a little for the most part. Acquaintances only a little. If not, they weren't what you would call best friends. However now. Sitting on the ground together. Knowing that this is something they couldn't forget. This is a secret, that's just impossible to look over. Secret that shouldn't be shared with anyone. They underlying suspicion that someone will share it, caused their stomach to roll around in worry._

 _On the other hand, trust was necessary. Because everyone had something to loose. Maybe just their pride, but here pride was everything. Loosing your pride, is fatal for all of them. So, they had no choice . Trust the others, and you will be fine. All of them are prideful. No one would shame themselves. No need to worry._

 _So, as they stared at the two people in the middle of the circle, they calmed down. Even if you hate everyone here. Despise them enough to slaughter them at any chance. You were with people similar with you in one aspect. PRIDE is something none of you can loose. And that makes them worthwhile. Just a little._

 _One of the figures stepped up. Now his face was visible, thanks to the fire illuminating him._


	2. Invitations 1st

"Ready?" "Yes, I'm ready." "Yes, Vlad you're ready." "Yes, I'm ready." "I know she's a bitch." "But she's a perfect candidate." "You know that, right?" "Yes, I do." "Good." "So, ready?" "I was born to do this."

~*1*~

The teacher's blabbering disappears, escaping to the void, never reaching the students. Search for no other proof than the blank stares displayed.. Even if the teacher wishes to sound remotely enthusiastic, the students are not in the mood. Especially at the back. You could say that there is where the least attentive ones sit. They could do whatever the want.

Vlad knows this the best. After he sits at the previously mentioned back. Surprisingly enough, in front of him sits a certain detestable human being. Others might call her Liz, if you please. It's supposed to be Math. However instead a German textbook laid on her desk. But that was not the interesting one. That would be the papers under it. Thankfully Vlad had a great view on it. Perfect.

With a smirk he bent over. On the page he ripped out of his exercise book, he scribbled his message.

 _Salut, Liz. You know I used to find it very interesting why are you so below your studies. After all you used to a be an honor student. Except in German, of course. It's clearly not your forte. At least I know the reason why._

He knocked on Liz shoulders. After the lack of response he aimed her leg, and with one small kick, he got her attention. She looked behind, with a questioning look on her face. He handed the paper. To Vlad's surprise Liz took it away. Well, she added a glare, but that's trivial. After she read the message, she turned around with an astonished look on her face. Vlad just smiled, and she turned back.

 _What the hell do you mean by that?_

She dropped the paper back to Vlad. With a smile Vlad bent down to his own desk.

 _Yeah, don't act like you know nothing. The evidence is clear. Reading porn, n top of that, on class? Wow, no wonder…._

 _This is not porn, just for your information. Just a simple book, what happens to have an erotic scene in it. No big deal._

 _Very funny. I guess I should raise my hand and tell the teacher... If you're not even slightly ashamed…_

Vlad chuckled within himself as Liz become as pale as the white wall.

 _What the fuck you want from me?_

 _Nothing really. Well, maybe if you can come to the cemetery on Friday 11 PM._

Liz read the message, completely shocked. She sent some questioning looks towards his direction.

 _The cemetery? Like I think the gates will be closed…_

 _Oh, sorry. I meant the other one._

Liz didn't even turned around, she stayed still, so Vlad had a great view on her face. The sheer horror it reflected was priceless.

"I'm raising my hand," Vlad whispered to her. He slowly lifted his hand, but Liz quickly grabbed it to stop him.

"Fine. I'll be there. Now, don't talk to me ever again," she turned back, sending him a strong death glare. Vlad let out a small satisfied smile.

~*1*~

"Hey, can I sit here?" Vlad leaned down towards the rather unfortunate Nikola. This guy was weird… In a whole different sense. Well, he was a son of a once prestigious family. Rumours say he was a childhood genius, however looks like nothing is left from that.

"Maybe so," he answered. Well, he wasn't the friendliest, that's for sure, however still less hostile than the others will. "But there are plenty of open seats, if you ask me."

"Hm… I see none," Vlad noted and sat down next to Nikola. Of course, there were a few open places, but not as much as Nikola made it seem.

"What do you want?" Nikola went straight to the point. Vlad gulped. Nikola was not in a good mood, which was easy to tell.

"Well, first of all, rude. On the other hand. I actually came for your sake. I might have discovered that you're on bad terms with the counselor for a certain reason." Vlad smiled a little. A different one from what he showed to Liz. Less ill-intended.

"Who are you anyways?" Nikola, narrowed his eyes, and concentrated on his food.

"You don't know me? That's surprising!" Vlad laughed, he also dug in his own.

"Nah, I don't. But I've heard of you. You're a weird creepy guy, am I right? The one who claims all sorts of things," Nikola glanced at him.

"Well, yeah. You're right. I'm Vlad and you're Nikola, are you? Anyways that old geezer, the counselor can knock it off, am I right? What's his main problem with you?"

Nikola turned away, either from embarrassment or annoyance, and muttered: "He thinks I am a friendless delinquent."

"Oh that's horrible… Too bad it's true!" Vlad dramatically raised his hand to his forehand. He felt Nikola's death glare on him. "Well, what if I acted like your friend, and get that stupid son of a bitch out of your back."

"What do you want for it?"

"Hmm… I wonder if you're free on Friday. At 11 PM." Nikola was taken aback by his ask, but quickly gathered himself.

"Yeah, right… What kind of request is that. Where do you want us to meet?"

"Well, you know there's that abandoned cemetery in the outskirts of our little town..." started Vlad, but he was interrupted.

"Ah, that's not suspicious at all..." he rolled his eyes,"but since that counselor is getting on my nerves I'll go. So see you then, but if this is some kind of prank, I won't let you get away with it!" and with that he stood up and left. Vlad let out a small grin. 2 out of 4. Nice!

~*1*~

Library. Who would thought that he would find Natalia here. But there she was. Sitting at a table, reading some weird book. There was hardly anyone in the room, which made it the perfect opportunity to strike. Vlad stopped behind her, to peek over her shoulders. He couldn't even read a sentence, before Natalia turned towards him.

"What do you want?" she spoke like he was the most despicable human in the entire world. It's rumored that her glare could kill people. Just as with Nikola, Natalia had a lot rumors surrounding her. On the other hand, in her case, most of them were probably true.

"So, ghosts, huh?" he had no idea, how the hell will she convince her.

"What's with them?" her voice became more hostile. "What do you want to say, freak?"

"YOU call me a freak… That's funny. Anyways, in connection with ghosts, the book in your hands is kinda… y'know… about them. So I thought you might be interested in the topic" he mused, leaning closer to the already pissed Natalia.

"And so what if I'm? I don't think it's any of your business."

"Well, it isn't but I was trying to start up a conversation. Like normal people? By the way, that book sucks!" he claimed, and with a turn he snatched another one of from the shelf. "Unlike this one!" he held it up proudly. He was very lucky, because indeed it was a good book. "Try it out!"

"No, thanks," pushed away the book Natalia, with a grimace plastered on his face. "I don't need your advice, so fuck off."

"Are you sure you don't want this book? It's really good. Oh, who am I kidding, there's no way you'd listen to me! On the other hand I want you to listen to more for a little, 'kay?"

"Hell no, get away or you'll regret it." Natalia stepped closer to him, her eyes told, she is ready to kill him right at the spot.

"And you'll regret not listening to me. So, just open your eyes for a second," he leaned closer to her. "Look, I'll be quick to convince you. I'll help you in something. Doesn't matter what it's. Anything from doing your homework to hiding a dead body. Really anything. In return you'll come to the abandoned cemetery on Friday, around 11 PM. If you turn up, I'll do anything that you want, no matter what it's. Deal?"

"Sounds tempting. But I won't ever need your help," she declared. And Vlad knew she was mostly right.

"Whatever the deal stands. I just add one thing: maybe you'll needed it in the future. Who knows!" She looked back at him. Seemed like she did consider it. Somewhat. That's already enough.

It was a success… On some level. Vlad wasn't entirely satisfied, but this is probably the best he could manage.

~*1*~

The easiest target of them all. Gilbert Beilschmidt. Vlad will have no difficulty convincing Gilbert to come. Just a mention of some kind of party means a deal. Or maybe he'll bribe him with beer. So easy.

That's why Vlad is standing in front of the school gate, waiting for Gilbert to come around. He got a fair share of weird and disgusted looks by his peers, however he was so used to them it didn't really mattered to him. He was glad he didn't meet up with the others he had the luck to talk to that day.

He suddenly heard an obnoxious, but familiar laugh from the inside. He excitedly tilted his head for better view of the door. There he was, Gilbert Beilschmidt in flesh and blood. When he passed in front of Vlad, he grabbed his arm.

"Gil! I was waiting for you!" Gilbert looked back at him.

"Vlad...Hey! What's up?"

"Hey, me and a few others are going to hang out on Friday, care to join?" while Vlad was asking, Gilbert joined to him. He waved to a few passers-by in the mean time.

"I don't know man, should I? I mean my folks wouldn't let me, but let's be real, when they would? But hanging out? You?", he glanced on his watch, then took an anxious look on their surroundings.

"Yeah, surprise! Now for real, please check it out! I promise you this will be fuuun!" Gilbert, seemed weirded out, and was ready for asking something, but Vlad outran him. "No, not drugs. Just you see Halloween is coming up, so something like that."

"Oh, so you mean like that… I think I'll be there!" he laughed a little. "Hope it will be fun. So when?"

"Friday, abandoned cemetery, 11 PM."

"Wow, that already sounds like a nightmare. Abandoned cemetery? Really? I mean that's a real step out of line, even for us, don't you think?"

"Nah-ah. Trust me!"

AND BINGO!

~*1*~

 _TO:_ ** _Măgar_**

 _TOPIC: C11PM_

 _Gamble, but it except one all fly for sure. The one, is from up on the North where cold winds blow._


	3. Invitations 2nd

_FROM: BloodyRoWanker_

 _TOPIC: C11PM_

 _Gamble, but it except one all fly for sure. The one, is from up on the North where cold winds blow._

"Why does this cryptid send me messages I have to decode to understand?" sighed Arthur, as he literally fell on his bed. He stared at the message for a few minutes. "That means I have to get myself together as well, right?"

~*2*~

The computer lab is a place you shouldn't stay without a teacher's presence. Let's just settle with the fact that there were a few exceptions to this rule. One of them was Im Yong Soo. Considered somewhat a genius, but a nuisance at the same time, he often spent whole days in front of the computers. Those days he doesn't go to class at all. It's a mystery how does he get away with it.

As expected even in the early morning he sat in front of the computer, mindlessly typing. His blood-shot eyes hardly noticed Arthur's arrival. He took 3 minutes to realize he had company.

"Oh, Arthur… Great to see you, what do you need?" he asked turning away from the monitor, with occasional glances towards it. For someone who spends almost no time away from precious electronics, he had plenty of energy. Well, looking athis body, it's clear that he has to do some kind of sport activity that gets him in his current shape, however no one witnessed him yet. It's also a surprise that him, famous for being unbearably boisterous, could be so formal with his so called seniors. He was full of contradictions.

"Hey, so remember when you asked me for a favour a few months ago?" Arthur asked, hoping Yong Soo still remembered perfectly well. His hands started sweating, for some unknown reason. It was maybe because Yong Soo looked completely clueless. But probably the reason was the heat in the room. Probably. "You know when you screamed-"

"Ah, I know now, please don't continue," he stood up in great embarrassment, with his reddening. "So, I guess that means you want something in return, what would that be?"

"Ah, very simple," Arthur felt the relief wash over him. He was breathing regularly now, which was a good sign. It really was the heat. He wasn't nervous. "You see… I want your help. On Friday, you see I'm have a little business at the abandoned cemetery. I want you to come with me."

"What? I'm sorry, but please be more specific. That's the other side of the town. I do owe you… But I can't help if you aren't saying anything." Arthur looked away in trying to get away from Yong Soo's interrogating gaze.

"Yeah… Let that be a surprise, okay?" he murmured. He wasn't sure, it was a good idea getting heard.

"That's suspicious… But fine, I like surprises!" Im Yong Soo smiled anticipating the Friday already. He seemed a bit naive at first, but that didn't stop him for being an otherwise really great candidate. Because the contradictions in Yong Soo's personality has some potential, worth for exploiting.

Arthur left the room, with the feeling of being stared at with suspicion.

~*2*~

The corridor wasn't for Arthur's tastes. However Tereza could often be seen around there, so he had no choice. Arthur knew almost nothing about her beside the fact that Vlad found her to be perfect. For some unknown reason he didn't mean to share the reason with Arthur. So, it was left on the trust between them. Or at least the knowledge that both of them had the same goal in my mind.

He was glad that he made preparations. As Arthur got closer and closer, he noticed how Tereza seemed to be distressed. Her books were lying on the ground, while she buried her face in her locker. Arthur watched her for a few seconds, before knocking on her shoulders.

"Do you need help?" he asked. Thankfully, all of the groundwork was laid beforehand.

"Yes, I can't seem to find my book anywhere. I really need it though," she didn't even flinch when she was called. "It's my math book, I can't find it ever since yesterday!"

"Now, that you mention it...Wait a little okay?" Arthur rushed away, trying to hide his satisfaction.

"Arthur?" she finally took a look who was she even talking to, but he could only watch his back. Greatly astonished she tilted her head, waiting for him.

"Here, I remembered that you left it last time," he handed her book. The relief crept on her face.

"How can I thank you?" An almost unnoticeable glint shone in Arthur's eyes. It said "Just as planned."

"About that… I need to talk to you. So, if we could meet in the abandoned cemetery Friday 11 PM, that would be great," he tried to look as persuasive as he could. Tereza only frowned at the idea.

"That's not something I wanna do. Especially not for a lost book. But… we… my family, I can't be in debt!" she turned back to her locker. Arthur bowed a little as a thanks, then left. It was successful.

~*2*~

Matthias one of the easiest targets Arthur had. They had the same biology class together and could somewhat be considered friends. Well, that was exaggeration, but they were indeed close. Close enough, to hold bets and competitions. Well, usually it ended with a huge blur and with no recollection about the winner, on the other hand, for Arthur's true luck, the last time ended with Matthias' utter loss. What a perfect opportunity.

"Hey, Matthias!" Arthur slid next to him on the table. One look from Matthias was enough to make him get down. This meant he was in a bad mood. Oh, that's unfortunate.

"'Sup Arthur, how you doing?" Despite his bad mood, he forced a smile on his face. He did look annoyed, but he tried his best to hide it.

"Oh, I'm doing great! How about you?" Arthur jumped down from the table, just to please Matthias. Instead he sat next to him. It was rare act for both of them, so they got plenty of surprised stares. However, they all remained silent for a while.

"Same." That was an obvious lie, but etiquette dictated the rules. For them that was something unbreakable.

"Well, Matthias, I need your help. Like Friday… 11 PM… in the old abandoned cemetery."

"And what makes you think I would help? What makes you think I should help?" Matthias asked it… It was fair. Matthias was helpful, when he decided to be.

"I guess you don't remember our last bet. The one I won?" he tried to fight off the smug look creeping on his face, as he observed Matthias slowly admitting defeat.

"I do..." a bitter expression plastered on his face. A sign that his mood got worse by every passing moment.

"Then I guess you have the answer." With that last sentence, Arthur had won the war, and Matthias had no chance to retort.

~*2*~

The hardest one of all, really. Lovino Vargas. He will be hard to crack. He has his own weaknesses, but it's not easy to exploit them. His guarded attitude is impossible to break through. But Arthur has the joker. He had the Joker with everyone. But using that would be cheap. With Lovino, sadly he had no other choice. It was hard to deny that.

It took half an hour to find him. He was enjoying his time in the end of the yard, which was supposed to be a restricted area, but Arthur soon learned that Lovino just simply ignored that. Quite the opposite, he made it his own personal kingdom by collecting all useless stuff he could find.

"So, what bastard? Will you blackmail me or whatever, just 'cause I shouldn't be here?" he asked furiously. His posture radiated his annoyance crystal clear. Even his continuous stomping like movements added on to that.

"No… Though I wish I could do that...But I really came to talk to you about something important." Reading the atmosphere arthur thought Lovino might want him to kneel down in front of him. He would surely be pleased, but there're limits to everything

"It can wait!" Lovino turned his head away, and maybe he was pouting. No, that's impossible. However it was clear Lovino didn't want anyone near him at the moment.

"Lovino… Are you a Vargas?" When he heard the question, Lovino took defensive actions immediately. Crossing his arms, but slumping down, like he thinks that will protect him.

"O-of course! How dare you even accuse me of not being one! How dare you!" he shouted fiercely anyways. His head red from anger, his pupils wide, it was clear that Arthur hit a sensitive spot.

"Then, this is really important for you and your family's honour. Come to the old cemetery, Friday 11PM. If you don't come you… no, your family will might be in danger." That as his last statement, Arthur slowly walked away.

"Wha-a-at? What the hell! Hey, bastard come back!…. I said come back! For fuck's sake… Come back and explain it to me!" Arthur could hear Lovino's shout even from a kilometer away.

~*2*~

 _TO: BloodyRoWanker_

 _TOPIC: C11PM_

 _The dance is arranged, Friday we are ready to start. May we get blessed as with the tango we waltz forward._

As the message was sent, Arthur collapsed on his bed. He was exhausted, but all of that could be ignored. He succeeded… He can now move towards his goal. Along with the people they've chosen, they can be… they can be…

Arthur thought about this as he slowly dozed off.


	4. The Treaty of Blood

Chapter 3 – The Treaty of Blood

20 missed calls.

334 messages

8 voicemails

An unknown number is calling you.

The number is busy.

Friday came.

~*3*~

Arthur was not the one to be late. Oh, no. The same can't be said of certain people who received invitations. People could count on one hand how many times were some of them punctual. However that Friday night, everyone waited at the cemetery's gate, half an hour before the fixed time.

It was awkward, of course. They had no knowledge of the others, and it didn't help that there were some arch enemies locked together. In the end, they had common thoughts, neither of them could predict anything beforehand. All of them prayed for their hosts arrival.

Meanwhile Vlad was already inside preparing for the grand event. They divided the work between each other, and Arthur got the oh so great task of greeting, Vlad surely had to deal with more than his partner. Or that's what he claims. Maybe Arthur would claim other wise.

To everyone's anticipation, Arthur arrived just in time. The aura became relieved and tensed at the same time. As Arthur stepped closer they continued to observe him in hope of a clue.

"Welcome. Now you might not-" Arthur started as he finally got close to them, but was quickly cut off.

"Where's that son of a bitch?" splurted out Liz, grabbing Arthur's collar. That was not a scary experience at all… Not at all. Truly Arthur felt he could die if he makes a wrong move.

"Do you mean Vlad?" his question was so obvious that Liz just nodded. "Well, he's already inside. I will explain everything in a minute," he moved closer to the gate and opened it. "I'm so sorry for gathering everyone… This is a really important matter, and it concerns most of you..."

"Do you have a pre-planned speech or what?" grumbled Nikola. Even now a cigarette was hanging from his mouth. No wonder why almost no one can go in his 2 meter radius, that guy is like a chimney.

"No..."

"Then get over with it, I don't have the whole freaking day!"

"Fine, Come'n in!" Arthur waves his arm and even bows a little. This sarcastic actions only earned a grimace from Nikola. As they passed him, he heard agreeing noises.

"Oh, you finally arrived!" greeted them Vlad cheerfully. Arthur couldn't decide if Vlad isn't able to read the atmosphere or just ignores it completely. As for the others it provoked a scowl and irritation.

"Fuck you..." they heard Tereza murmuring that sentence, and they could also hear Matthias moaning in agreement.

"Now, maybe we should set the mood! Shall I start by lighting a fire? Then we can start by telling ghost stories..." he continued rambling on, like he was purposefully tried to irritate everyone, together with his partner.

"Don't fuck with me!" Natalia's voice was sharp, it cut through everything. She stepped to Vlad. "Now...Explain yourself, you last piece of shit,"

"Now, now, now" interrupted them Arthur before Vlad could answer. Maybe it would be the same caliber as he said beforehand. "We will explain it… It's just that we're a bit… reluctant."

"Don't care," came the obvious answer from Lovino. "The beauty is right, so is that yogobastard. I don't have time for your games. You asked me if I'm a Vargas and told me to come. I only care about that."

"Fine follow me!" They did follow the two of them, along the bent tombstones, which were overrun by nature. Sometimes a few angel statues popped out from the crowd, but the scenery was pretty much the same everywhere. Maybe they would be better of if they used a machete against the conquer of the greenery.

They arrived to a small vault. It belonged to one of the founders of the town, though no one could exactly remember which family was he a member of. In the middle lied a coffin. Of course it never contained a body, but it was still unclear how it got there.

"Well, we wanted to show you this!" Vlad motioned towards the coffin, playfully even did a courtesy.

"A freaking coffin…?" asked Gilbert, shocked. So utterly shocked that his face gotten numb.

"Oh, no!" Vlad continued on."That part is not important. If we peek inside, now that's the big deal. Believe me."

"Show us already!" cried out Tereza in annoyance. She clung into Liz for support.

"Fine… I can show you now and afterwards… If I show it now, there is no escape-"

"I-D-O-N-T-F-U-CKI-NG-CAA-RE!" Tereza screamed, as she almost broke Liz's arm. Gilbert was too shocked to help her out, but he did some movements resembling a nod. Natalia wasn't the one either as she stared at her with a mixture of pity and irritation. Yong Soo did the same just was a bit less open about it. Lovino almost joined her, and could only retain himself for a few minutes before possibly grabbing the other arm. Nikola strangely seemed to be amused by the situation, even letting out a chuckle. That's probably more astonishing than anything they might reveal today.

The only one who showed his useful side was Matthias, who stepped close to the girls and tried his best to comfort her. He looked at the coffin. "I care. What's inside? Tell me now, will ya?"

"If you won't think about it..." With that Vlad kicked up the coffin, releasing the papers inside.

"Look through it, I suggest. Me and Vlad did it. Found some interesting stuff. About our families… and about yours. We thought that it would be important for you."

Tereza immediately released Liz's arm and together with Matthias they literally swung towards the papers. The two of them enthusiastically dug up the insides. Well, the enthusiasm only was the mirage of the outside. In reality they had a different reason. It wasn't just pride, it wasn't just fear. It was more. An indescribable feeling neither of them understood.

The others only observed at first. Then they slowly joined. First Liz, then Gilbert… then Lovino, and so on. Natalia was the last one.

"This is not possible! No! Impossible!" Matthias stood up. His eyes showed disbelief and disregard for the contents he found. "No!" He family couldn't have done that.

"I'm sorry Matthias, this is the truth."

"Wait a minute… Why do you have information on my family? We only moved here a few years ago!" Yong Soo stood up. "Explain!" What a rare occurrence.

"We don't know who was the one who collected the information. Because again, it's all of our business, we need to find them!" Vlad changed to a serious tone, surprising everyone.

"And because they have data of Yong Soo, they're still active, right?" Gilbert stepped towards them, observing the papers. "That's problematic."

"We can all agree on that..." sighed Tereza who somehow successfully managed to calm down. All of them, even Natalia nodded.

"So, here's our suggestion. It's important for all of us, right?" Arthur took a little break, anticipating some reaction, but the stares clearly urged him to continue. "No one can know about this. So, me and Vlad, thought maybe all of us, could help each other out. United by a common goal, we 1, find the culprit. 2, we swear to never reveal each others' secrets."

The answers came quickly.'Fine, let's do it!' 'That's obvious!' But Vlad only shook his head. "I'm sorry, but you really thought I would trust you? That'd be plain ridiculous!"

"Wha-at do you mean you don't trust us, bastard!" Lovino sounded really offended.

"I'm sorry Lovino, but as much as I hate to say this, he's fucking right. I don't trust you. But be fair, neither you" Liz gritted her teeth. She was disgusted by just even saying that sentence. "So, Vlad what do you suggest?"

"Well, glad you asked Liz! Because you will have an idea what I'm trying to do. Now, let me convince you," he changed back to his goofy attitude, as he bowed yet again. "So, when me and Artie," this earned the glare of the mentioned," Arthur thought about it, we came to the conclusion that nothing is stronger than a familial bond."

"I won't marry you!"

"No one talked about marriage here… But I guess you've heard of it. In the ancient nomad tribes a common way to swear brotherhood was a blood treaty. Y'know when we swear brotherhood by drinking each other's blood. The usual" while talking Vlad slowly fished out the contents of his back pack. Which included a paper, with something written on it, a chalice and a pocket knife.

"Wait, you want us to actually do this blood treaty thingy? Don't be ridiculous!" Tereza grabbed Liz's arm, yet again.

"That's barbarian!" Lovino clung to the other arm. The others watched silently.

"I mean," started out Nikola. "It makes a lot of sense, if you're as crazy as this guy."

"That means you're in?" asked Yong Soo, with a raised eyebrow.

"You're not?" Natalia turned towards him. Seems like she found him the most likable from the bunch.

"No, drinking blood isn't a big deal. I don't see the point," he shrugged.

"If I ignore the part about drinking blood… I agree," Matthias walked up to take a look at the chalice. "It won't work."

"Give it a try. I'll give it a try" Liz took the chalice from Matthias. Picked up the pocket knife. "I can't let anyone know about it." With a smooth but visibly angered move she slashed open her wrist. Then she pushed the knife to Vlad's chest.

"I'm glad," Vlad repeated her actions, with less anger involved. He offered a knife to Gilbert, who spent the entire time silent, staring at the coffin. "Gil?"

He forced a smirk on his face and grabbed a knife. "Be glad to drink my awesome blood." After the quick, skilled slash, he seemed numb. "I've done it," he muttered, while he watched mesmerized as the blood poured into the chalice. The knife was dropped, but was quickly picked up by Arthur.

"Am I the next one?" he looked around.

"No, it's me," Natalia took the knife. Without a blink, she calmly, almost methodically let her blood into the chalice. She then turned towards Yong Soo. She clearly urged him to participate. He frowned but still accepted it. In still silence he was done in seconds.

"You're all crazy," rather than anything, Nikola sounded amused. Greatly entertained. His slash was almost like it was intended to hurt. Seeing his actions struck a chord with Matthias. He falsely sensed determination. Or maybe it was truly determination.

"Fine, I'll do it. If all of you're this… dedicated, I think I can trust you," Matthias cut his wrists with precision of an engineer. He smiled the whole time, bringing unnerve to the remaining. "Y'know," he offered the knife with slow movements to Tereza, "that's the best decision right now."

"I u-understand that! No need for you!" she shouted at him. It took her a few minutes to calm down, but after all her anxiety was released, she managed to be successful.

"Lovino," the mentioned looked alarmed, "you can go… But promise not to talk about this to anyone, please." That was an obvious lie from Vlad's part, since there's no way he would have let him go.

"N-o-o, I gu-ess I should go with it," he stuttered. With clumsy movements he made the cut. Arthur was the one finishing the first part. According to the ritual, it was time to take a sip from the chalice. This time, they were less reluctant, and everybody gulped down their share from metallic taste liquid.

As they glanced around, they somehow found acceptance. People who they can confide in. It felt like they were mesmerized as Vlad declared them "siblings".

Arthur and Vlad shared a smile. A knowing smile, filled with the essence of success.

 **Author's Note: Thank you for reading this chapter! Sorry for the slow progress, I can't really help it. Now, this blood treaty thing is an ancient magyar/nomad ritual, we Hungarians have it in our history. I don't know how the ritual went down, but I guess it's better than anything. So thanks!**

 **Also from now on I'll include one character's information per chapter in here, which might change over time.**

 **Today's lucky one is:**

 **Vlad Popescu (=Romania)**

 **Came from a family with long history, he keeps pride in his origins. However many of his ancestors were feared because of their cruelty, and up to this day his parents are infamous for their lack of empathy. Many people claim Vlad is treated strictly by his parents, to the point it could be called abuse. He developed an interest with the occult, and is frequently seen doing strange things. Other than his history, he's often plays pranks and is a joy to be around. He is quite popular, but he doesn't have many close friends. On the other hand he has his sworn enemy, Liz.**

 **Hope I didn't made mistakes!**


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